No fewer than 50 members of the 10th House of Representatives are unlikely to be part of the 11th Assembly after losing out in the All Progressive Congress (APC) primaries held on Saturday.
This marks one of the largest turnovers of sitting federal lawmakers since 2015 and signals intensifying internal competition within the ruling party eight months to the 2027 general elections.
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While House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas (Kano) and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu (Abia) successfully defended their tickets, several ranking and long-serving lawmakers were defeated, exposing strong anti-incumbent sentiment and the decisive role of state governors in candidate selection.
Major casualties
One of the biggest upsets was the defeat of House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere in Edo State’s Owan Federal Constituency. He polled 1,005 votes out of 7,587 cast, finishing third behind Andrew Ijegbia, who scored 3,695 votes. Abdul Oroh placed second with 1,740 votes.
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In Delta State, veteran lawmaker Nicholas Mutu, who has represented Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency since 1999, lost his re-election bid. Ngozi Okolie also lost the Aniocha/Oshimili ticket to former House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu.
Cross River State recorded one of the highest casualty rates, with five of eight incumbents failing to secure re-nomination.
They include three-term member Mike Etaba (Obubra/Etung), Godwin Offiono (Ogoja/Yala), Emil Inyang (Akamkpa/Biase), and Bassey Akiba (Odukpani/Calabar Municipality).
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Only Peter Akpanke, Joseph Bassey, and Victor Abang won return tickets.
In Plateau State, conflicting results in Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency triggered early confusion. One returning officer declared challenger John Tongshinen winner with 29,968 votes against incumbent Yusuf Gagdi’s 5,849.
The APC Plateau State primaries committee, chaired by Stella Okotete, later dismissed that declaration as unauthorised and affirmed Mr Gagdi as the authentic winner with 29,207 votes.
At a press briefing, Mrs Okotete stated that Nandom Kura was the recognised returning officer. “The returning officer approved by my committee that has gone to do fake declaration is null and void,” she said.
Other significant losses occurred in Ogun State (at least five incumbents, including Deputy Chief Whip Ibrahim Isiaka and Tunji Akinosi) and Ekiti State (three sitting members).
Regional patterns
Outcomes varied across zones.
In Katsina State, at least four sitting lawmakers — Sani Danlami, Abubakar Kusada, Aminu Jamo, and Dalhatu Tafoki — lost their tickets under consensus arrangements.
Meanwhile, Yusuf Buhari, son of late President Muhammadu Buhari, secured the APC ticket for Sandamu/Daura/Mai’adua Federal Constituency in a landslide.
In the North-west, Zamfara and Sokoto states largely adopted consensus arrangements, with most incumbents affirmed as candidates.
However, Kebbi State witnessed some notable upsets, including the defeat of MansurJega (Jega/Gwandu/Aleiro) and Bashar Bajida, with tickets going to new candidates through consensus.
In Borno State, several incumbents retained their tickets, including Usman Zannah, Betara Aliyu, Kadiri Rahis, Satomi Ahmed, Bukar Talba, and Ahmed Jaha. New faces perceived to be close to Governor Babagana Zulum also emerged.
Volatile South-south
The South-south zone proved volatile. In Bayelsa, results reflected ongoing realignments linked to Governor Douye Diri, with incumbents Oforji Oboku and Rodney Ambaiowei winning re-nomination in their constituencies while some others stayed with the PDP for senatorial races.
Rivers State recorded losses for several incumbents, including Boma Goodhead.
In the South-West, incumbents suffered defeats in Ekiti and Ogun, while results in Ondo remain delayed due to internal disagreements within the primaries committee.
Implications for APC and 2027
The scale of incumbent losses underscores the growing dominance of state governors and local party structures over legislative incumbency.
It remains unclear how much the results favour President Bola Tinubu’s core loyalists, but several governors appear to have consolidated control of party machinery.
Political analysts note that the exit of ranking members could reshape leadership and committee dynamics in the 11th National Assembly.
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For the APC, the more immediate challenge is reconciling aggrieved aspirants to prevent defections or legal battles that could undermine its 2027 campaign cohesion.
Sidebar: Disputes and allegations of irregularities
The primaries were marred by disputes and allegations of manipulation in several states.
In Ekiti, aspirants Teju Okuyiga and Victor Kolade rejected the outcomes. Mrs Okuyiga claimed voting did not occur in many wards and that figures were allocated during collation.
“The process was manipulated to disenfranchise supporters and undermine my candidacy as the only female aspirant,” she said.
In Lagos’ Epe Federal Constituency, aspirant Ademola Amure described the exercise as “shambolic, massively flawed and fraudulent,” citing gunfire, thuggery, voter intimidation, and artificial inflation of turnout.
In Ondo State, disagreements within the primaries committee stalled result announcements, with sources alleging pressure to impose consensus candidates despite seven aspirants having been disqualified earlier.
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify all the allegations. The APC National Working Committee is yet to issue a comprehensive response on the conduct of the primaries.
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